Qingdao Metro

Qingdao Metro is a rapid transit system in Qingdao, Shandong province, China. The first line, Line 3 (north section) began operation on December 16, 2015.

Line 1


The northern section between Qingdao North Railway Station and Dongguozhuang Station was opened on 24 December 2020. The southern section between Qingdao North Railway Station and Wangjiagang Station was opened on 30 December 2021. The north section is 22 km and the south section is 38 km, the entire of Line 1 is 60 km in length. Line 1's color is yellow.

Line 2


Construction on Line 2 began in 2012, and the completed line will comprise 22 stations, with a total length of 24.4 km. Line 2 began passenger service on December 10, 2017, between Zhiquan Road station and Licun Park station. The western section from Zhiquan Road station to Taishan Road station opened on December 16, 2019. Line 2's color is red.

Line 3


The construction of the first line, Line 3, began on November 30, 2009. With 13 billion yuan ($1.9 billion) of funding, the line comprises 22 stations, with a total length of 24.5 km. The northern half of Line 3 began trial passenger operation on December 16, 2015, and the southern half opened a year later, on December 18, 2016. Line 3's color is blue.

Line 4


Line 4 between Hall of the People station and Dahedong station operation on December 26, 2022, with 25 stations and 30.7 km of track. Line 4's color is green.

Line 6
Construction for Line 6 Phase I started on December 16, 2019. Line 6 (Phase 1, Lingshan Bay station to Hengyunshan Rd station) is a 30.762 km line with 21 underground stations. Phase 1 of Line 6 opened on April 26, 2024. Line 6's color is light blue.

Line 8


The northern section opened in December 2020, and the southern section and the branch is currently under construction. Line 8's color is pink.

Line 11


Phase I of Line 11 between Miaoling Road station and Qiangu Mountain station, which extends from Laoshan District to Jimo District, with 21 stations and 54.4 km of track, began operation on April 23, 2018. Line 11's color is dark blue.

Line 13


Phase I and Phase II of Line 13 between Jinggangshan Road and Dongjiakou Railway Station started operation on December 26, 2018, with 21 stations and 66.813 km of track. Line 13's color is teal. A 2.8 km extension to the north opened in 2023.

History
Qingdao proposed a subway system in 1935, making it one of the first cities in China to propose a subway system. The proposed network was 42 km long and ran underground in the city center while elevated in the suburbs. However, the plan never gained traction due to turmoil from the Second Sino-Japanese War and Chinese Civil War. Planning resumed in 1989 only to be stopped again in 1995 after a national suspension of subway projects was declared due to worries of high costs and financial debts. Repeated attempts to gain approval for subway construction were unsuccessful until 2009 when it was finally approved by the NDRC and a test section of Line 3 started construction in July.

Phase 2 construction plan
The Phase 2 construction plan (2013-2021) of Qingdao Metro was approved by National Development and Reform Commission in April 2016.

More transfer stations such as Taidong station and Liaoyang East Road station will be built, providing the citizens with more choices in transportation.

Line 2 (Western Extension)
A 3.84 km extension from Taishan Road station to Sichuan Road (Qingdao Ferry Terminal) station started construction on October 26, 2019.

Line 6 (Phase 2)
Line 6 Phase 2 is also under construction. The extension is fully underground, and will end at Qingdao West railway station.

Line 8 (South Section)
The remaining Line 8 southern section brings Line 8 deeper into the urban districts of Qingdao and is planned to open by the end of 2025. The extension is 13.1 km long with seven stations.

Phase 3 construction plan
The Phase 3 construction plan (2021-2026) of Qingdao Metro was approved by National Development and Reform Commission on August 19, 2021.

<!--(unsourced, original research, and doesn't update with the recently approved lines in 2021: According to the published plans, ultimately there will be 16 lines in total (plus two branch lines) with a combined length of 836 km. All work is scheduled to be finished prior to 2050.

Rolling stock
All lines use standard B1 type rolling stock. Typically they operate as six-car-trains, whereas lines 11 and 13 use four-car-trains. Power is supplied via a third rail with 1500 V DC. On each line run trains with different appearance and livery.